Unknown alien ships are ripping commanders out of hyperspace in Elite: Dangerous

After two years of teases and mysteries, something big started happening to players in space combat sim Elite: Dangerous
over the last two days: players traveling in certain regions of space
are finding themselves being yanked out of hyperspace and scanned by an
enormous, enigmatic alien ship. This is the first time that any
operational non-human spacecraft have been in the game.

The first person to post video evidence of the alien interdiction was Xbox One player DP Sayre.
Because the videos were posted on the Xbox One DVR site, they are
unlikely to be fakes—it’s considerably more difficult to post a faked
video via the Xbox DVR service than it is to post a faked video to
YouTube. Here’s a version of DP Sayre’s encounter, stitched together
into a single video:

The alien vessel is large and radially symmetrical, and it appears to be the same design as the crashed alien spaceship
discovered in-game last August. (It's also worth noting that while the
ships don't at first blush resemble the traditional octagonal Thargoid
ships of old, they do have eight
"petals" or "sides.") After the player has been pulled out of
hyperspace, they float with their ship disabled while the aliens swing
into view and do… something.
They accost the player with some kind of yellow light (scanner?
weapon?), and then fly off. If the player is quick enough, there’s time
to scan the departing ship and its wake to collect some data signatures.

Attempts to engage with the ships in any way have so far been unsuccessful—the encounter appears to be scripted. Shooting the crap out of the alien vessel does not have any effect, even when the player doing the shooting is equipped with high-end Engineer-modified weapons.

What’s happening?

While there are so far no clues about the
exact nature or intent of the aliens, it is likely almost to the point
of certainty that they are the Thargoids, the Elite universe’s featured non-human species… and Big Bad Guy. In the original 1984 Elite,
the Thargoids could be encountered mainly through botched hyperspace
jumps—and seeing them was pretty much a sure sign of death. Though the
Thargoids moderated their behavior a bit in subsequent games, they were
always mysterious, always powerful, and always dangerous. (A previously offline canonical page detailing humanity’s history with the enigmatic insectoid race has been put back online with no fanfare or announcement.)

What does this mean for the course of Elite: Dangerous?
Are these encounters a sign that the tone of the game is about to
shift? Are we looking at a galaxy-wide invasion? Should players begin to
fly combat-kitted ships when exploring the area around the Pleiades?
The Elite: Dangeroussubreddit is abuzz with possibilities and discussion, but what should players be doing to prepare? Is there anything specific to prepare for?

We don’t yet know. And Frontier Developments
continues to hold back from confirming anything—which, of course, is all
part of the fun. When reached for a statement Monday morning about the
encounters in deep space, a company spokesperson responded by saying,
“We are currently investigating reports of unusual sightings around the Elite: Dangerous galaxy, but we are otherwise unable to comment on galactic rumor and speculation.”

Unknown alien ships are ripping commanders out of hyperspace in Elite: Dangerous
Reviewed by Bizpodia
on
22:50
Rating: 5